There is growing resolve to change ­voting processes for the Senate, to curb sophisticated preferencing strategies that will see several micro-parties win seats despite each receiving a tiny ­fraction of the vote.

Independent senator
Nick Xenophon
of South Australia will introduce a private member’s bill as he pushes for a switch to optional preferential voting for the federal upper house.

On Wednesday, South Australian Labor Premier
Jay Weatherill
indicated he wanted to address similar concerns about preference deals in the state’s Legislative Council. “I think it does raise issues and I think we do need to reflect on what the response might be to this phenomenon," Mr Weatherill said.

There are likely to be 33 Coalition senators when the election takes effect from July next year, which means Prime Minister-elect
Tony Abbott
will have to secure support from up to seven crossbenchers to get legislation through the upper house.

These newly elected crossbenchers may include Victorian
Ricky Muir
, representing the Australian Motoring Enthusiast Party, and
Wayne Dropulich
of Western Australia, for the Australian Sports Party.

Although Senator Xenophon won a spot in his state’s upper house based on preferences before he moved to the Senate, he has been burnt by the system at this election. He said his running mate,
Stirling Griff
, would miss out on a seat because the ALP “for a bizarre and spiteful reason have preferenced the Liberal Party".

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Professor Macintyre told The ­Australian Financial Review he would push for the elimination of the voting system of above or below the line. “It’s been 29 years since that system was introduced," he said. “It’s only in the last ­couple of elections that we’ve seen the emergence of numerous (what are now being called) micro-parties who have a co-ordinated strategy to exchange ­preferences amongst themselves before any preference goes to one for the established major parties."

Rather, voters should be able to choose candidates in order of preference for the number of vacancies to be filled, instead of having to fill in all ­numbers or vote above the line. “So in South Australia, for example, you would number one to six and you could keep going as far down the ballot paper as you wanted or you could stop at six and let your vote exhaust," he said.

But he would not support suggestions that it should be more difficult for new political parties to enter Parliament. “I don’t think we should put barriers to participation up if we want a vibrant and robust demographic debate. But we have probably seen an outcome in the Senate where the results don’t reflect the will of all the voters,“ Professor Macintyre said.